Blackout
by Wylrin
Summary: Days after a major power outage in Amity Park, Danny and his friends assume Technus is likely to be up to something. But as secrets start to unfold, something much darker, and far more threatening, is revealed.
1. Chapter 1

**Important! The events in this story take place after Phantom Planet.**

* * *

"Remind me why we're doing this..." Tucker asked from the back of the Specter Speeder.

"This is the fourth time you've said that," Sam turned around in her seat to raise a questioning eyebrow at her friend.

"I'm sorry! It's just - I don't see how this is in any way a good idea."

"Relax, Tucker," Danny offered him a glance before returning his gaze to the passing doors of the Ghost Zone. "I think we can all agree that I know how to deal with Technus."

"But breaking and entering? Danny, is this really necessary?"

"The whole city's blacked out, Tucker," Sam turned to him again with a serious look. "It's been like that for days now."

"Right," Danny added. "And if that doesn't sound like Technus, I don't know what does."

"Alright," Tucker held his hands up. "Let's say this _is _because of Technus. Do we really need to go track him down like this?"

"He hasn't shown himself yet after the power went out," Danny said. "If he's not going to make a move, I will."

"But isn't that the strange thing about it? I mean, doesn't Technus like to shout out what he's doing?"

"Tucker has a point." Sam turned to Danny, "Technus isn't the most secretive of ghosts. Normally he would have done something by now."

"That's what worries me," admitted Danny. "That's why I also think we should confront him now - see what he's up to."

"I think you're right," Sam told him. "But I also think that we should be very careful."

"Sam, come on." Danny grinned, "This _is _Technus we're talking about."

"I have to agree." When both of them looked to him, Tucker clarified, "With both of you. I mean, yeah, this is just Technus but, something just doesn't seem right about it."

"I know," the half-ghost nodded. "That's why I want to make sure that I see what he's up to."

A few moments of silence passed, the ghost boy staring determinedly in front of him. It was only after a small while that Sam said softly, "We're with you."

Turning his head to gaze at her, he replied with a small smile, "I know."

She returned his smile.

"Uh, I hate to interrupt this touching conversation but, isn't that our door?"

Surely enough, they had arrived at their destination - Technus's lair.

"How'd you know this was the right door?" Danny asked.

"The censor array went off," Tucker replied with a knowing smile, gesturing toward the radar that was making a soft beeping noise, telling them how close they were to their target. Danny hadn't noticed.

"Right," he muttered. "Stay here."

"We're coming with you!" Sam insisted, immediately standing.

"Sure are!" Tucker beamed.

"Guys-"

"We always come with you," Tucker reasoned.

"And you're not going in there alone," Sam added.

Danny softened. "Alright. Let's go."

Opening the hatch, the three stepped out of the vehicle and into the swirling green void. Holding his companions by the arm, Danny flew them to the front of the door they'd come to the Ghost Zone to find. The three stared at it, not entirely sure what to do next.

"Should we knock?"

"Tucker!"

"Just open it," Sam suggested.

And that's what they did. They opened the purple door slowly, as if they expected something to jump out at them. Or shock them, perhaps. This _was_ the lair of Technus. Inside it was dark, hard to see anything at all. More accurately, it seemed as if the entire space was pitch black. Danny lit up a small ball of ectoplasmic energy in his hand, but the green light seemed to reach only more black. It was as if the entire room - if it was a room - was void of anything.

"Okaaaay," Tucker drawled uneasily. "That's not what I was expecting."

Danny hesitantly took a step inside, feeling there was indeed a floor, and not just empty space. The three ventured a bit further, keeping the door in sight, of course, trying to find something, _anything_. Anything but black.

After a while of complete silence, Sam muttered, "This can't be right."

"I know, right? I was thinking there'd be _walls _of computers, stretching for miles! That sort of thing." Tucker said, almost with envy in his voice.

"I don't like this," Danny said, scanning the area with his green eyes. "Where _is _he?"

"If you were looking for me, you could've just called."

The three spun around toward the source of the voice, which was none other than the one they were looking for.

"Technus!" Danny flew up to him, a mere few meters away, his fists clenched ready to fight should the situation go awry. "What is this about?"

This earned him a raised eyebrow. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes. You. Do!" Danny retorted. "I'm really not in the mood for this. I know you've got something to do with all this!"

When he was met only with silence Sam stepped up to Danny's side, Tucker following suit, "Our entire city has lost power."

"I am aware of that," Technus replied evenly, diverting his gaze from the halfa to the girl addressing him.

"And are you going to tell me that wasn't because of you?" she demanded.

"Yeah. You seem to be the cause of a lot of the mishap that happens when it comes to power outtages." Tucker added.

"I had nothing to do with it," the words were like venom coming from Technus, which was something that the three had never seen before. Somewhere deep down, it scared them to see this side of him. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do. I hope that you will _leave _this place and _never _break into my home again!" With that, he turned to stalk off into the darkness, but stopped with a sharp inhalation of breath and a hand to his temple. It lasted but a mere instant, but the three teenagers could not deny the pained expression on the ghost's face. When the instant passed, it was gone; Technus straightened and let his hand fall to his side as if nothing had happened, the expression on his face long gone. Instead it was replaced by a contemplating one.

"It's happening faster than I thought," he muttered.

"What?"

The technological ghost looked up, as if he had forgotten the three teens were there. They could tell by the look on his face that he had probably wanted to have kept what he said to himself, but they all knew how Technus could be.

"It's nothing," he waved it off after a time of silence. He turned to leave again but a beam of ectoplasm struck his chest, sending him flying back with a cry into the blackness. Danny had lost his patience.

"Danny!" Sam and Tucker cried out in unison as the ghost-boy flew after his target in the dark. They were both worried about a conflict starting and confused by what had transpired just moments before. Watching their friend fade in the darkness, they hesitated for only a second before following him.

Technus hit the floor, his chest burning from the shot fired directly at him and dazed from the impact, allowing Danny to easily catch up with him and fire another burst of blinding green. Though Technus was ready this time, forming a circuit board shield in front of him, the ectoplasmic impact coursing through the circuitry before dissipating entirely.

"I do not want to fight you, Ghost Child!" Technus shouted at him as he raised himself from the floor.

A strange attitude for Technus, but it was hardly noted in Danny's aggressive state. "Then tell me what's going on here!"

"Danny!" Sam and Tucker had finally caught up to their friend, and took their places by his side once again.

"You wouldn't understand!" Technus seethed.

"We don't know that! Can't we just talk this over?"

Silence. All eyes were on Tucker.

"What?" He asked nervously. "Why should we fight when we can just... work things out?"

Looks were exchanged between all of them. Finally, it was Danny who broke the silence. He sighed. Looking to Technus, he asked, in a much calmer, but still slightly exasperated voice, "Technus... what's going on?"

Green eyes stared into black, reflective lenses long enough to become quite unnerving. Neither of them spoke, for a while, Technus seemingly at a loss for words - for once - and Danny not wanting to provoke him again, earning him another 'It's nothing'. Instead, he waited as patiently as he could while the other thought, neither taking his eyes from the other. Tucker and Sam glanced at each other nervously.

Finally, Technus sighed. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he said in a soft voice, "You want to get involved in this? Very well."

With a wave of his hand lights came on from an unknown source, almost blinding considering the pitch black they were in not seconds before. The light, however suddenly bright it was, did confirm one earlier suspicion - the room they were in was empty, not a single difference even in the walls.

"Dude... This is your room?" Tucker asked questioningly.

Technus did not respond. Rather, he seemed to be concentrating on a spot directly in front of him. With another widespread wave of his hand, a seemingly holographic image appeared. It was a complex computer system, the circuitry unfolding and constructing itself in the wake of his hand. There were several monitors, all of which were different sizes and seemingly had different functions and displays. The entirety of it spanned the whole face of one of the walls.

All three of the teens' jaws dropped.

Turning back to Tucker, Technus said, "Yes. This is my room. And I assure you this is not the extent of its features. Or rather, _my _features."

"Sweeeeet." Tucker was clearly in heaven.

"How did you do that?" Sam asked, genuinely curious. "You've never done anything like that in your fights with Danny."

"This system's purpose is to solely display information. It is a part of my conscience, very similar to that of the Ghost Writer and his keyboard. _I _can interact with it, but it can not interact with the environment, and vice versa."

"Aww, man." Tucker pouted.

"It serves its purpose, nonetheless." Technus looked to Danny. "You want to know what's going on?" He didn't bother to answer the rhetorical question. The ghost turned back to the system, "Then take a look."

The three hesitantly gathered around, unsure of what to think of their current situation. The main monitor showed what seemed to be two images of a world map, each dotted with countless white specks on the continents. Danny had a bad feeling about this.

"This" - here Technus pointed to the first of the maps - "is a representation of all electrical energy sources in the world. This representation is about two weeks old." Now that he mentioned it, the three could tell that the accumulation of specks were most frequent especially in large cities. "Now this" - here he illustrated the second map - "is a map of the same data, only this information is up-to-date."

"There are fewer energy sources in the second map..." Sam observed.

"Correct. For whatever reason, sources of energy world-wide are virtually disappearing, causing entire cities to blackout instanteously. Whether they are somehow being drained, or whether there is some form of interference, it isn't clear. What is clear, is that, for whatever reason, electrical technology is failing world-wide, and the rate of failure is increasing across the globe."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, that within the next month, the entire world will experience a blackout."

* * *

**Author's Note: Please review, if you can. This is the first story in a long time that I've tried that isn't just a oneshot. I'd just like to know if it's complete garbage, readable, or actually going somewhere. I'd appreciate it. :D**

**And I look at this and it doesn't seem like the way I write. There's a lot of dialogue telling the story instead of paragraphs of detail, and I'm not used to that. So if you have any thoughts on that, I'd be happy to hear them. :D**


	2. Chapter 2

The room was quiet. Three of them couldn't believe what they had just heard, while the fourth simply remained silent. With a wave of his hand, the computer system seemingly dissipated, the room empty again. Glances were exchanged between the teens, but no words were spoken. What could be said in such a situation? Hundreds of questions flitted about their minds, but none of them were asked. Rather, these questions only brought more questions, offering little to ease their minds as they desperately searched for some explanation. None could be found.

When one of them finally spoke, it was in a hushed, wondering voice, "But - how?"

The ghost turned to her, answering simply, "I don't know."

"Wait, wait, wait - time out," Tucker said before Danny could demand information. "The entire world is losing power, and there isn't even a trace of why it's happening?"

"That's correct."

"But how is that even possible?" Sam inquired.

"It shouldn't be," Technus answered. "Under normal circumstances."

"Normal circumstances?" Danny crossed his arms.

"Yes, normal circumstances. Otherwise this would've happened before," Technus said slowly, as if it was obvious.

"Then are there any abnormal circumstances that would explain this?" Tucker asked.

"None that I can think of."

Danny opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. It quickly became apparent to him that he did not like this situation. What he was used to dealing with were ghost attacks. The solution to beating them was not always clear, but the enemy was often right in front of them. Now it seemed that they were being attacked by unknowns; power outages caused by something they couldn't see. Not only that, but the whole world was involved, making the entire aspect more frightening, and potentially more dangerous. Having saved the world from the Disasteriod, any widespread threat like this made Danny feel responsible. But how could he fight an enemy he couldn't see? An enemy that wasn't even a person at all, but rather, a reoccurring event that may as well be like trying to fight a rainy day.

The situation itself seemed impossible, let alone how to face it. Danny sighed, the heroic Phantom inside of him churning and demanding to solve the problem and save the day, yet with no clue how to go about doing it. But he was far from giving up yet. And he wasn't finished with the ghost across from him.

"And we're supposed to believe you're not involved in this?" Danny asked, uncrossing his arms to curl his fists by his sides.

Technus turned to glare at him, "Do you really think if I were the cause of all this, I would sit here and explain it to you?"

The three teens looked at one another.

"Well -" Tucker stopped at a harsh jab in the ribs from Sam.

The ghost let out an aggravated sigh and paced about a bit before stopping a short few feet in front of Danny and saying, "I am not happy about this situation either, Ghost Child. And I know this probably means nothing to you, but I keep my word. So when I say that I have nothing to do with this, I _mean I have nothing to do with this_."

Danny stayed quiet, and neither Tucker nor Sam interfered. Backing off slightly, Technus focused on a spot on the floor for a while before continuing, much more calmly, "The blackouts are most... disturbing to me, Ghost Child. I have studied the events leading up to them and have found no substantial evidence as to what may have caused them. It's... frustrating, to say the least."

"So you really have no idea why this is happening."

A nod. "That's right."

Danny exchanged glances with his friends. They looked to him with the same expression on their faces.

Putting his back to them, Technus suggested, evenly, "Perhaps you should leave now."

Looking from one to another one last time, the three nodded to each other before quietly leaving the ghost's abode. Closing the door behind him, Danny flew himself and the others back to the Specter Speeder. Once settled inside, they laid in a course back to the portal that would take them home. None of them had spoken a word in the process.

Tucker was the first to break the silence, "Well. That was..."

"Different from what I was expecting," Sam finished.

"Yeah," Tucker agreed softly.

"Danny, are you alright?" Sam asked, touching his arm slightly.

"I'm fine," he answered. "It's just... everything seems so strange. The blackouts, Technus..."

"He was acting pretty weird back there," Tucker added. "Just... didn't seem like him."

"Do you still think he's behind all this?"

Danny thought for a while. He didn't trust Technus. He didn't trust most of the Ghost Zone's residents. But Tucker had a point, he _was _acting pretty strangely. The whole situation seemed... off. And he didn't like it. He was worried that, in the dark of the power going out, something bigger was happening. But did he really think Technus was behind that...?

"I don't think so," Danny finally answered. "I don't think he's telling us everything, but I don't think he's behind it."

"What do you think is going on?" Sam asked, worriedly.

"I'm not sure. The sad thing is, this might not even be _ghost _related." For Danny Phantom, the concept of a problem that _wasn't _ghost related seemed alien. "This could be because of something entirely different, and we just don't know."

He lowered his head, half out of deep thought and half out of frustration. He stared at the operative controls of the Specter Speeder, dimly aware of their occasional blinking and chirps. A fine thing it was, often underappreciated, but the vehicle had served them many times on several different occasions. In a way, it made Danny feel less alone. For much of his half-ghost life he had felt so terribly alone. He had always had his friends, yet as faithful as they always were - even if at times, he wasn't - the feeling had still remained. He certainly wasn't alone now, the entirety of the world knowing of his unique existance, yet something about the gentle hum of the machinery before him reminded him that he had always had the subtle companionship of friendly little devices. The Fenton Thermos, for one, always there, always handy. Granted, it could not console him like his friends could, yet thinking about it now, Danny could hardly imagine ghost-hunting without it. The mental image of literally dragging ghosts by their tails and throwing them into the Ghost Zone one at a time certainly did not appeal to him. Maybe he wasn't so lonely in those days after all... but he was sure he would need all the support he could get if he was going to figure this one out.

"Danny? Are you okay?"

Said boy looked up at the speaker, the goth girl next to him. She looked concerned; he must have been nonresponsive for a while.

"Yeah," he replied. "I'm just worried, I guess."

"Relax dude," Tucker told him, giving him a reassurring smile. "You _always _come out on top against the bad guys. This time isn't any different."

"Tucker, we don't even know who the bad guys _are_," Danny protested.

"Not _yet_," Tucker grinned. "But there have been plenty of anonymous visits from the Ghost Zone, and you've figured all of them out."

"Maybe," Danny consented. "But like I said before, this might not be ghost related."

"If not ghosts," Sam pondered, "then what could be causing all of this?"

"I don't know," the ghost boy said simply.

"Seems like Technus doesn't, either," Tucker said grimly.

"See that's the thing I don't get." Danny leaned back in his seat, idly intertwining his fingers and twidling his thumbs. "If anyone would know about what's happening, it should be _him_. I don't understand how he can be just as clueless as we are."

"Maybe he's lying," Sam suggested darkly.

"But why would he lie to us if he's not the one who's doing this?" Tucker asked with an eyebrow raised suspiciously.

Danny shook his head, "That's not Technus's style. He's not like Vlad" - the mere mention of that man's name made the atmosphere change - "he doesn't weave together lies like that."

"What if he's changed," Sam furrowed her brows in thought. "What if -" She took another moment to consider it, then started again, "What if he's had an upgrade?"

The others took a moment to think about it as well. It was a perfectly valid theory, for they all knew the ghost of technology was capable of it; he had done it before. Only the last time Danny had considered him to have stayed as "the same old Technus". Now, however, as he put more thought into it, he did notice just how much change there had been in the ghost since that upgrade. Aside from his change in appearance, he soon took on an entirely different personality. The seemingly half-crazed, mad scientist was gone, and was replaced with a more logical entity, one that saw emotion as weakness, weakness to be exploited in his enemies. With this new psyche, he had become one of the few ghosts to come close to world domination.

_Same old Technus, indeed! _Danny thought sarcastically. As he thought more and more about the concept Sam had just introduced, the more frightening it seemed. He had underestimated Technus's ability to adapt in the past, and now there was a possibility that he's done it again. If the Technus they had encountered back at his lair was the Technus they were going to be dealing with in the future - The thought was frightening.

His friends seemed to generally have the same thoughts judging from the grim expressions on their faces. If anything, one thing was clear to all of them: Upgrade equals very bad for them, even if it was just a minor one.

"And, you think what we saw... back there, was part of...?" Danny trailed off. He didn't have to say more.

"I'm not sure," Sam said. "All I know is that the ghost back there wasn't the same Technus we know."

"Agreed," Tucker put in, far more serious now.

"I mean, that computer system he conjured up could've been something entirely new..."

"Or it could've been something we've never seen before..." Danny added. At Sam's curious look, he continued, "We just don't _know _what's going on. There could be hundreds of explanations."

"Well, in any case," Tucker leaned back in his seat and folded his arms behind his head, "I think we should keep an eye out for him."

Danny nodded, "Definitely."


	3. Chapter 3

**Important Note: This story_ does_ take place after Phantom Planet, but in this story Tucker is _NOT _the mayor. I know it's just a cartoon but that just seemed over the top. **

* * *

They had made it to the same portal that had taken them to and from the Ghost Zone many times before. Though no amount of past experience could quite douse the strange sensation of phasing from one dimension to another. To see a swirling green atmosphere flash to the Fentons' basement in the blink of an eye was something no human being could quite get used to. Though perhaps it was the _feeling _of passing through the portal that was the most otherworldly. A split-second chill that ran up the spine, replaced by a rush of warmth once completely on the other side. It was another one of those things that had become such a part of the three's daily lives to the point where it was almost normal. If having a friend that was half-ghost and frequently visiting the realm of spirits could ever be considered normal.

What _wasn't _normal, was the small group of people anxiously awaiting their return. Revealing to his parents - not to mention the entire world - that he was part ghost had been worse than having Jazz know. Actually, to be more accurate, it was worse than having Jazz know that _he _knew that she knew. Jazz had kept her knowledge of Danny a secret for her little brother's sake; she knew if he wanted her to know, he'd tell her. During this time she had not only kept his secret safe, but hadn't treated him any differently in the process, for the most part.

However, when Danny eventually learned that she knew of his secret, there was no reason for Jazz to pretend anymore. She had made it her mission to assist her brother in every aspect of his ghost hunting - a nightmare if there ever was one. She had eventually come to terms that her little brother could handle himself without her intervention, and frankly was probably better off without it. Jazz had always remained protective of him, but that much was to be expected - he _was _her little brother, after all. There was and always will be the instinct in her to be the big sister to him, though thankfully after a while she had stopped insisting on following him about everywhere he went.

Unfortunately, the same could not be said about his parents.

But of course not. They're his parents, not his sibling. In their eyes he's still their little boy, much to Danny's misfortune. For the past three months since the almost-end-of-the-world, they've been tailing him in the Fenton RV every ghost attack. Danny supposed he should have seen it coming, but deep down he was only glad they had taken to his warped DNA in such a positive way. Every nightmare of his parents' revolted reaction, of tearing him apart molecule by molecule had dissipated. They had accepted him for what he was, embraced him. They loved him and he now knew for certain that nothing, nothing would stand in the way of that love.

Opening the door of the Specter Speeder, Danny and his friends stepped out, immediately engulfed by the crowd that was his parents and sister. Overprotective and worry-driven as it was, Danny couldn't help but feel a sense of comfort in the presence of his family.

"Danny! Are you alright?" his mother asked in a nearly frantic voice. She made a point of checking every square inch of her son - despite his protest - as if searching for some unseen injury. Tucker and Sam were convinced the discovery of a paper cut would give her a heart attack.

"Mom, I'm fine," Danny replied, trying in a vain attempt to squirm out of his mother's assult of gentle prodding.

"You sure, son?" his father inquired. "Your mother was about to shove the whole of Fenton ops into the Ghost Zone and come looking for ya."

"That! - wouldn't have been necessary," Danny said nervously, imagining his mother literally trying to do that for the sake of searching for him. "Everything was under control."

"So did you find him?" Jazz asked as they all made their way up the stairs, taking their conversation to the kitchen.

"Oh yeah, we found him," Tucker affirmed, taking his seat at the kitchen table.

"But we're not sure it was him," Sam added.

"What?" Jazz looked surprised. "I thought Techno was _always _the reason things like this happen."

"It's Tech_nus_," Danny corrected with a small smirk. "And we thought so too, but like Sam said, we're not entirely sure."

"Technus..." Danny's mother had a finger to her chin in contemplative thought. "Who is he, again?"

That was another thing that came along with his parents' knowledge of his ghost half. They - though mostly his mother - had taken a fascination in different ghosts and their special attributes, and they insisted on Danny telling them _everything _he knew. His father still had more of a simplistic "see a ghost, shoot it!" approach on the matter, but still, as a scientist, and since the topic was ghosts in general, his father was just as attentive.

"He's the one that took over the house that one time, remember?"

"Ah, yes, the one with technokinesis abilities." His mother nodded in recognition, then frowned as a thought came to her. "And this is the ghost you went to see? Danny, are you _sure _you're alright?"

"I'm fine mom, really," her son smiled softly in reassurance. She smiled in return, but it was more of a sad smile. It was difficult for her; her son was growing up, fighting ghosts, _saving the world_. It seemed not long ago she could hold him easily in her arms. Such a small, delicate, harmless thing he was back then. That's changed. She knew as a mother she had to accept that, but it was so difficult. Especially when her said son went through things no teenager - no _human _- had ever endured before.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Fenton," Tucker added, bringing her out of her thoughts. "He's not as dangerous as he sounds."

_Most of the time, _no one bothered to add.

"He sounds pretty dangerous to me," Jazz argued. "With that kind of power he could manipulate technology on a world-wide scale."

"Uh, yeah, about that..." Tucker trailed off nervously.

"We have a bigger problem than we thought," Sam finished for him.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

The trio looked at one another anxiously before Danny responded, "When we found Technus, we asked about the blackouts in the city." He paused. His parents nodded for him to continue. "He said he wasn't responsible, but he told us... something else."

"Danny," Jazz put a supportive hand on her brother's arm. "What did he tell you?"

He sighed. "He said other places in the world were having blackouts, too, and that within the month, the entire world will have lost power."

There was silence in the kitchen, very much like the silence that engulfed the three when Technus had first told them. It was a grim silence, one they would have preferred to have been broken, but no one knew what to say. The first one to break it eventually, however, was Jack Fenton.

"A world-wide power outage? We're going to need more matches," he announced as he got up and ran out of the kitchen, presumably to get more of said material.

Maddie sighed.

"Wait, how do we know he's telling the truth?" Jazz asked skeptically.

"We've thought about that the entire trip home," Sam answered truthfully. "Honestly, we _don't _know, but we've never known Technus to lie about anything."

"He _was _pretty upset back there. Seemed legit to me," Tucker said. "But Sam's right, we can't possibly know for sure."

"Let's assume the world _is _slowly losing power," Maddie offered. "If that's so, what could be the cause? And what could be done to stop it?"

"Technus didn't seem to know." Danny frowned.

"Do you think he was lying?" Jazz asked, noticing her brother's expression.

"Maybe not so much _lying, _but I can't bring myself to believe that the self proclaimed _Master of Technology _is as clueless as we are in this situation."

"He may have some theories," Maddie pondered aloud. "But not enough to make a decisive conclusion." She turned her attention back to the others. "He didn't say anything else?"

"Just that he's not the one doing it, and that he doesn't like the situation one bit," Tucker supplied.

"What are we going to do?" Sam asked perhaps the one question that mattered most at the moment.

"I'm going to try to figure out what I can," Maddie replied. "But first I'm going to have to relay this to the mayor."

"The mayor?" Danny raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. He wanted to know the outcome of your trip into the Ghost Zone. Besides, people need to know what's possibly happening."

Danny buried his face in his hands and groaned as his mother left the room. Another thing about the world knowing about him: the sudden interest in his whereabouts. As if the publicity and the press hadn't been bad enough, he had people who wanted to know about every aspect of his adventures, particularly his trips into the Ghost Zone. There have been plenty of news reporters and the like that have insisted on becoming a part of his life. The activity had died down considerably after the power outage, but Danny wouldn't be surprised if the U.S president ended up on his doorstep one day and requested a tour of the Ghost Zone, Secret Service and all. Thankfully, no human other than Tucker and Sam have visited the other realm.

Yet.

"Cheer up, Danny," Sam told him.

"How? I'm going to end up having a camera strapped to my head that's broadcasted across the globe. It'll be called, 'Phantom Cam'."

"Danny, you're used to being the only one standing up against ghosts," Jazz reasoned. "Now that people really know what's going on, just how much ghosts are involved, it's only reasonable that they want to know what's happening from now on. And if there's a threat to the world, they want to know about it."

"I know," Danny mumbled. "I guess I'm just not used to it..."

"Dude, the weight of the world isn't on your shoulders anymore," Tucker told him. "You can finally let yourself relax a bit. You have a world to back you up now. We're not just three guys anymore."

"Hey!"

At Jazz's protest, Tucker added hastily, "Alright, four guys. But you get my point."

Danny smiled. "Yeah. It'll just take some getting used to, I suppose."

The room quieted for a while and the intial - and more serious - problem rose to the surface of their minds again. The entire world without power. It sounded like something out of a Sci-Fi film, unreal. Yet here it was, the threat of a possible world-wide power outage within a mere month.

"Are you alright, Danny?" Sam asked out of the blue.

"Uh, sure, considering. Why?"

"It's just - I really should go. My parents never really accepted the fact that I delve into another dimension with a half-ghost, so they're probably worried about me."

"Same here," said Tucker. "Gotta make sure our folks don't have panic attacks."

Danny laughed as he walked with them to the door. They hesitated on the porch, then turned and said their goodbyes, promising they'd return tomorrow first thing to discuss what had transpired that day. Danny smiled. He could never ask for a pair of better friends.

Walking back to the kitchen, he discovered Jazz was still in the same place, seemingly in deep thought.

"What're you thinking?" he asked curiously.

"Oh!" She looked up to him, as if he'd startled her out of her thoughts. "I was just thinking about the power outages... Is there a ghost you've ever met that would be capable of doing this?"

"Other than Technus? No, not one I've ever met." Danny stared at the table underneath his folded hands, a small frown decorating his face.

"Hey," Jazz spoke softly. "Whatever this is, you'll figure it out. I know you will."

"I hope so."


	4. Chapter 4

It was one of those nights that left the half-ghost restless and agitated.

He had long since opened the window of his bedroom and flown into the darkness, his ghost tail whipping behind him. There were many nights like these where Danny would scour the city for potential ghost activity. Tonight was not such a night. Tonight the boy simply wanted to think.

It was surprising to him, just how relaxing flying could be, making it a perfect condition to ponder whatever was on his mind. When he had first gained his ghost powers, he put much concentration into flying, his human instincts telling him 'danger!' and that he would fall from the sky at any moment. Now he put no more thought to it than when he walked. Flying was arguably more suitable for thinking than walking, however, as there were fewer things to run into up in the sky than there were on the Earth, should he become so lost in thought.

And tonight he was, indeed, very lost in thought. He was thinking of the day's events, occurring just hours before, leaving them still fresh in his mind. He wasn't sure what bothered him more, the blackouts, or Technus's peculiar behavior. Technus - a ghost he thought he knew so well, a ghost he knew as so predictable, so arrogant. But he wasn't so sure of that anymore, not after what he had seen in the ghost's lair. Never before had a confrontation with Technus left him so conflicted, so confused. Plenty of times it had left him annoyed, angered even, but never puzzled. A part of him was scared by that. Had Technus really become something far more dangerous than before? And if so, what did that have to do with what was happening now?

Danny floated, suspended in the air, his arms casually behind his head as he gazed up at the stars, as if they had the answers he was looking for. He thought of the time Technus had nearly taken over the world, the strategy he had used. He had laid low, something he hadn't done in previous attempts at gaining control of the world's technology. He had waited until the last moment to reveal himself, which had inevitably been his downfall in the long run. Had he stayed quiet the entire time, and had he not sent Valerie's suit after him - which had been what had sent the alarms in Danny's head that indicated Technus was indeed up to something - would he have succeeded that day? He didn't like thinking about it, nor did he like thinking about the other close calls he's had with other ghosts - Undergrowth, Vortex, Nocturne... Vlad, just to name a few. There were plenty of times he could have slipped up, something could have happened that would have decided a different fate for the world, but it didn't bode well thinking about.

Instead, he thought about the conversation he and his friends had with Technus, what his personality had been like during that conversation. He definitely had a darker tone about him, one that made Danny a bit nervous. Sure, the ghost of technology had gotten angry with him before - he couldn't think of many ghosts who hadn't - but never before had he felt... _threatened_, by that anger. Had you asked him months before if he associated Technus with the word 'dangerous', he would have laughed. However, things have changed in those months, and Danny knew he could not afford to be cocky, especially considering what was going on.

Rolling over midair on his stomach, his chin resting on his crossed arms as if he were at home lying on his bed, he considered just what role Technus had to play in this game. Oh yes, he knew the ghost was involved somehow, whether he was the one responsible or simply knew some secret he wouldn't tell. Regardless of what role he played, Danny was certain that he _did _play a role. That much, to him, was obvious; the way the technological ghost behaved during their confrontation, and merely the fact that he _was _the ghost of technology. To believe that he knew _nothing _of the situation was either far too trusting or far too ignorant, and Danny was neither. So it would seem, indeed, that Technus _not _being in some way related to the situation was out of the question.

The real question was, how exactly _was _Technus involved in all of this? Normally Danny would assume the ghost took the entire responsibility when something like this happened - and for a while he had - but while his behavior had told the halfa he was somehow involved, something about it also told him that he wasn't the one to _blame. _Danny couldn't place a reason for why he felt the way he did, but that didn't impede it in the slightest. Call it some ghostly instinct, but the gut feeling he had was strong, and there had been many instances where his gut had proven right.

That, however, didn't make it any less confusing. Sighing, he looked down at the town below him. What had once been a vast field of lights had vanished, replaced by a cold darkness that only the light of the moon could partly dispel. Flying forward now, he began a sweep of the city, similar to that of his nightly vigils. There wasn't any activity to be found, ghost or otherwise. Still, it was in his instinct to keep watch over the city he knew and loved.

Eventually floating to touch down on a sidewalk, he looked casually about. The windows of the countless houses revealed no light in the dwellings. This wasn't odd, as it was past midnight and most of the town's citizens were asleep. What _was _odd, was the distinct lack of light given off by the streetlights, making the street hauntingly black. Looking about the place in the dead of night made one realize just how much a power outage can change everyday life.

Giving the dead streets one last look, the ghost boy flew into the darkness, returning to the place he called home. He pondered his flight, internally wondering if he was any closer to having an answer than he was before he had flown from his window. He had considered many details, tossing them about in his head, searching for some way to perhaps just find a _clue. _But in the end, he wasn't any closer than he had been. It was still the same; Technus might not be the cause, but he's involved. Danny sighed. At least he felt pretty confident about that. So many more questions were unanswered, but at least it was a start. Pulling himself from his thoughts, the boy looked up and found he had reached his destination. An aerial view of one's own house might seem so foreign to most, but to Danny it was a part of his life as half ghost.

Phasing quietly through the wall, he noticed the soft glow of a candle sitting on his nightstand. The room flashed green for a moment before returning to the flickering orange of the tiny flame as Phantom turned to Fenton. The boy smiled softly at the small source of light, probably left by his mother, or maybe Jazz. Just a little gesture it was, but it made him feel safe, at home.

He quickly changed into his nightwear before slipping silently into bed, the warmth of the blankets making him realize just how tired he was. He watched the orange light dance on the ceiling for a short while before falling into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

Jazz was sitting at the kitchen table when her brother came down the stairs, trying to rub the sleep from his eyes. As he walked into the kitchen, his sister greeted him, "Good morning, Danny."

"Morning," came the tired answer. He instinctively opened the fridge door, only to frown when the inside remained dark. Oh, right. Shutting the door to the fridge, the teen walked over to grab a box of cereal. So long as the power remained out, the cereal would remain without milk. That was going to take some getting used to; morning rituals were hard to break.

Sitting down with his breakfast, excluding the spoon entirely, in favor of picking up and eating the bits of cereal one at a time, Danny stared off into oblivion, seemingly deep in thought.

It was broken, however, when he asked, "Where's mom and dad?"

"They went out this morning," Jazz replied. "Still not back yet."

Danny nodded, returning his attention back to his food. He sat quietly, mindlessly emptying his bowl. Try as he might, he couldn't stop thinking about the situation. His sister might call it obsessive compulsion, but when the world is at stake, who wouldn't be? Glancing up at said sister, he wondered if she could provide any insight. Ghost hunting wasn't really her thing, granted, but she _was _aspiring to be a psychologist, or psychiatrist, he never really understood the difference. So surely she would be better at judging a change in someone's personality than him? Even if the said 'someone' was a ghost.

"Jazz?"

"Yes, little brother?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, not sure how he wanted to put it. "I've been thinking lately... Say someone's personality were to.. change. And this person might be hiding something, but you can't really tell anymore because..." Danny trailed off, seemingly too deep in thought to even finish his sentence.

Setting down her book - of which Danny noted was very large and thick, rivaling an Encyclopedia - Jazz calmly and, in a very serious manner, asked him, "Is this about Technus?"

Part of him wanted to smirk for her actually getting his name right, but the urge died quickly. He simply nodded.

His sister bit her lower lip, tapping her fingertips on the table in thought. "What do you think he's hiding?"

"I don't know," he confessed. "I just feel like he's not telling me everything."

"Well why would he? The two of you aren't exactly on good terms," Jazz pointed out. She leaned back in her chair slightly, steepling her fingers and staring at them contemplatively. Looking up from them to her brother, she asked him, "What exactly do you mean when you say his personality's changed?"

"Well, back then, Technus pretty much _did _used to tell me everything, " he told her. "He liked to shout out his plans all the time. But it's not just that, it's..." He seemed to be thinking of how to describe his thoughts. "Everything about him is different. He used to be.. well.. kinda crazy." He looked up to Jazz to see if there was any sign of judgement on her face, but her face was calm, collected. She nodded for him to continue, which he did. "He was always so sure of himself, so.. eccentric. He's changed before, though, into - almost a machine-like person. He was more rational about things, he despised emotions..."

Danny took a moment to gather his thoughts again before continuing, "But now he's different again. Not like anything from before. I don't know if it's because he's changed or if it's just because I confronted him about this. But it has to be more than that." He was talking more to himself now. "I've never seen him so.. _aggitated _before. It was.. it was kinda scary," he admitted.

Jazz had never taken her eyes off her little brother. She'd listened attentively, hiding a small, worried frown behind her folded hands. Whatever was happening, it was affecting her little brother, and she didn't like that. She was interested, however, in what he was saying. She thought for a small while, thinking over what he'd said.

"So you think he's hiding something because of the way he reacted when you confronted him?" she verified.

He nodded mutely.

Jazz silently thought things over. There were many things that ran through her mind that just couldn't be put into words. To her, the 'original' version of Technus sounded like someone who took a great deal of pride in his work, and wanted to be recognized for it. Whether it was a need for recognition or a compulsion to speak his mind, so to say, she couldn't possibly know. However, from this, she did have a hunch of the 'newer' Technus's behavior.

"I think," she spoke after a while of silence, "that he doesn't like people seeing him as something he's not." She looked up from her folded hands to her brother and continued. "From what you've said about him, we could assume that he likes recognition. I think it works the other way around as well. I think he doesn't like being blamed for something he didn't do."

Danny looked up at his sister almost hopefully. "You don't think he's the one that's causing this?"

Jazz shook her head. "It doesn't add up. I don't think he would've _admitted _to have done it if he had, but from what you've said he had a pretty strong negative reaction when you accused him of the blackouts. If he _had _done it, I think he would've felt pride, joy even, perhaps. But what you described?" Jazz shook her head. "If you had done something you were proud of, would you be infuriated if someone asked if it was you?"

"No," was all Danny said. It made sense, it really did. His gut feeling and Jazz's psychological analysis both returned the same results - Technus wasn't to blame. But if not him, then who? And what was he hiding? Danny was sure there had to be something, he just didn't know what. Like Jazz had said, why _would _he tell him everything? They were enemies. Ememies didn't whisper secrets to each other.

Looking up to his sister, he said, "Thanks, Jazz. For everything."

"No problem, little brother."

* * *

**Author's Note: I'm not sure how I like this chapter. I tried to make Jazz's psychological analysis of Technus seem realistic, but I'm not sure if I succeeded. Nonetheless, it is a new chapter!**


End file.
